Polling system and method using nondedicated telephone lines

Abstract

An audience data rating collecting system and method which are capable of collecting television audience rating data automatically within a short period of time. A broadcasting station transmits over the air a marker signal. The marker signal is received by terminal units associated with selected subscribers' television receivers. Upon reception of the market signal, and after waiting a period of time necessary for other terminal units within the system to transmit their data back to the station, each terminal unit automatically dials a predetermined telephone number at the broadcasting station. Once the broadcasting station has had time to automatically answer, data from that terminal unit representative of the channel then being viewed is transmitted over the telephone circuit to the broadcasting station. After all terminal units have called in, the results are tabulated.

I claim: 
     
       1. A data collecting system comprising a plurality of receiving stations, each receiving station including: a tuner connected to an antenna; memory means for temporarily storing data supplied from an apparatus being used when said tuner receives a marker signal; timing means for performing a timing operation when said marker signal is received; means for variably setting a timing period of said timing means; means for automatically effecting a telephone call after said timing period set by said setting means has elapsed, said means for automatically effecting a telephone call including an automatic transmitter in each receiving station and means for causing a i-th automatic telephone transmitter at a corresponding i-th one of said plurality of receiving stations to commence a telephone call, in accordance with said timing period, at an i-th time beginning a predetermined period before an (i-1)th automatic telephone transmitter at a corresponding (i-1)th one of said plurality of receiving stations terminates data transmission to a central station and releases a telephone circuit, whereby a call signal from said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters arrives at said central station immediately after said (i-1)th automatic telephone transmitter releases said telephone circuit; means for setting a telephone number of said central station to be called by said means for automatically effecting a telephone call; an encoder for encoding data stored by said memory means; and means for sending out said data to said central station through a telephone circuit. 
     
     
       2. The data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tuner is fixed to always be tuned to a predetermined station. 
     
     
       3. The data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a television receiver and said data corresponds to a channel being viewed on said television receiver. 
     
     
       4. The data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for automatically effecting a telephone call comprises means for rendering unusable a telephone connected to said telephone circuit while said telephone call effecting means is effecting a telephone call. 
     
     
       5. The data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a terminating point of sending out of said data; and wherein said means for automatically effecting a telephone call operates to release said telephone circuit immediately upon detection of said terminating point of said data, independently of said central station. 
     
     
       6. The data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for automatically effecting a telephone call comprises means for inhibiting a calling operation by said means for automatically effecting a telephone call when a telephone connected to said telephone circuit is being used. 
     
     
       7. A data collecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined period is determined by taking into consideration at least one of a period A for confirming the presence of a dial tone at said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters and a period B for sending a plurality of dial pulses. 
     
     
       8. A data collecting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a delay time interval G for an i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters to wait after said marker signal before initiating a telephone call is determined in accordance with a time period needed for ones of said automatic telephone transmitters in sequence to complete transmitting operations, including said period A, said period B, a time C for waiting for a call to start to ring at said automatic telephone receiver, a time D for said automatic telephone receiver to answer the call once the call has started to ring, a period E for transmitting data, and a period F for allowing for release of said telephone circuit. 
     
     
       9. A method of collecting data from a plurality of terminal units, comprising the steps of: providing a single automatic telephone receiver, at a central station, and a plurality of automatic telephone transmitters in a telephone circuit, each of said automatic telephone transmitters including means for storing data; simultaneously transmitting a marker signal at a first time to all of said automatic telephone transmitters over a broadcasting channel; transmitting via said telephone circuit the data stored in each of said terminal units to said single automatic telephone receiver in a predetermined sequence, each of said automatic telephone transmitters transmitting data to said single automatic telephone receiver at a respective delay time after said first time and thereafter releasing said telephone circuit, with an i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters starting a calling operation a predetermined period before an (i-1)th one of said automatic telephone transmitters has released said telephone circuit, such that data from said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters arrives at said single automatic telephone receiver immediately after said (i-1)th one of said automatic telephone transmitters has released said telephone circuit. 
     
     
       10. The data collecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said step of transmitting in sequence comprises, at each of said automatic telephone transmitters, performing a timing operation commencing from reception of said marker signal, each of said automatic telephone transmitters performing said timing operation for a different time period corresponding to said respective delay time; and automatically dialing said telephone receiver only after said timing operation has been completed. 
     
     
       11. A data collecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said predetermined period is determined by taking into consideration at least one of a period A for confirming the presence of a dial tone of said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters and a period B for sending a plurality of dial pulses. 
     
     
       12. The data collecting method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a delay time interval G for an i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters to wait after said first time before initiating a telephone call is determined in accordance with a time period needed for ones of said automatic telephone transmitters in sequence to complete transmitting operations, including said period A, said period B, a time C for waiting for a call to start to ring at said automatic telephone receiver, a time D for said automatic telephone receiver to answer the call once the call has started to ring, and a period F for allowing for release of said telephone circuit. 
     
     
       13. A data collecting method as claimed in claim 12, wherein a delay time Gi for said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters is given by the following equation:   Gi=(A1+B1)+(i-1) (C+D+E+F)-(Ai+Bi),     where   A1 is a period for confirming the presence of a dial tone at a first automatic telephone transmitter;   B1 is a period for said first automatic telephone transmitter to send its dial pulses;   i is a number corresponding to said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters;   Ai is a period for confirming the presence of a dial tone at said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters; and   Bi is a period for said i-th one of said automatic telephone transmitters to send its dial pulses.   
     
     
       14. The data collecting method of claim 13, wherein said data is information indicative of a television channel being viewed on an associated television receiver, said method further comprising the step of assembling said data. 
     
     
       15. The data collecting method of claim 13, further comprising the step of disabling the use of a telephone ordinarily coupled to said telephone circuit during said steps of dialing and transmitting said data. 
     
     
       16. The data collecting method of claim 13, further comprising the step of, at said central station, totaling data received from a plurality of said terminal units. 
     
     
       17. The data collecting method as claimed in claim 13, wherein data transmitted from each of said automatic transmitters contains the same number of bits. 
     
     
       18. The data collecting method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of, at each of said automatic telephone transmitters, terminating transmission upon counting said number of bits.